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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cap · stock · plane · coach · deal · rash · band · arm

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. deal — to handle
  3. stock — goods
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. cap — a lid
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. rash — hasty
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. cap — of ice
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. band — a ring
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. stock — shares
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. plane — a tool
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. cap — a hat
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. rash — a series
  24. deal — an agreement

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com